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Changes in attitudes Jaguars cocky despite injuries to key players
Posted: Wednesday February 02, 2000 01:05 PM
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (CNNSI.com) -- Jimmy Johnson and Dan Marino have always come off as more successful than likeable. But, strange as it seems, they have emerged as sympathetic characters in this year's playoffs. Just as odd: the Jacksonville Jaguars' recent transformation from bland and boring to bold and brash. The rap-singing Jaguars came into Saturday's playoff game against the Dolphins with the best record in the NFL (14-2) and the hottest recording in the state of Florida -- their new rap song, titled "Uh Oh, the Jaguars Super Bowl Song." The Dolphins (10-7) came in with Marino gimping along and thinking about retirement and Johnson wondering if he should follow his superstar quarterback out the door. Both seem as surly as ever. But first, the song. It was recorded by five Jaguars in November as a way to have fun and raise money for charity. They claim to have done so not knowing it would be played on radio. The song, which filtered down to the Dolphins' locker room this week, has shifted the focus from football at Jaguars camp and may have instilled a sense of swagger. "When we did it, we thought nothing of it," Jaguars lineman Leon Searcy said. "We didn't want the song to come out, but somehow a radio station got hold of it. It's being requested a lot. They played it. That's cool. We're not going to back down from it now." Defensive lineman Gary Walker, who brought a mean element to the Jaguars when he signed as a free agent this season, says the critics should lighten up. "This is your way of getting controversy," he said. "So you be happy with it and we'll take care of what we've got to take care of." After opening the season 7-1, the Dolphins lost six of their last eight regular-season games. They beat Seattle 20-17 to open the playoffs, but clearly this season has given them little to sing about. Injuries and ineffectiveness have plagued Marino this season, his 17th in the NFL. So has the struggle with Johnson over the offense. The coach favors a strong running game and Marino is the most prolific passer in football history. Both have considered quitting -- Johnson did quit for one day after a playoff loss last season -- and it seems there's no guarantee both will be around after this year. Has the relationship with Marino dulled Johnson's enthusiasm? The answer may not be known until Miami's season ends and the coach decides what he'll do next. "Actually, I think Dan and I have a very good relationship," Johnson said. "I think some people try to read more into every statement made than what's really there. I'm fairly forthright with my assessment of any of our players. I think the media has made more out of it than what's really there." Meanwhile, Marino has grown tired of the retirement questions. "Regardless if you play 10 years, 15 years or even 20 years, it's going to be tough because once you're done playing, you don't get these opportunities again," he said. "For an athlete and guys who know what it feels like to play the game, they understand it." Johnson has compared this year to a soap opera, a stark contrast to Jacksonville's orderly season. A reported early-season rift between Mark Brunell and Tom Coughlin was quickly smoothed over with the one solution for most problems -- winning. And the success sparked the next hiccup, the rap song. But even Coughlin, never one to encourage individual expression, thinks this has been overblown. "The intentions were perfectly honorable," he said. "The funds would go to the charities of the player's choices. It was done with innocence and it wasn't done for any specific team. As far as I know, it was done to create local interest and to kind of get things snowballing for the playoffs."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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